Student Exchange Program 

Since 1993, the Natural Resources Management Program and the University’s Office of International Programs have provided leadership to a student exchange program between the states of Maryland, USA, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Every other year, a small group of Brazilian students and one or two faculty members come to Maryland to learn about its educational and academic facilities, environmental NGOs, related government agencies, and research foundations; in the intervening years, a like number of students and faculty from the University of Maryland travel to the state of Rio de Janeiro. The exchange program is the result of an agreement among the University of Maryland, the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, and Fluminense Federal University (located in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro) that has evolved to include other universities in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The travel-study program is a cooperative effort among the universities and Partners of the Americas, a “people to people” exchange program initiated by President Kennedy in the 1960s. The state of Maryland is partnered with the state of Rio de Janeiro because of similar characteristics. Each has a large bay (Chesapeake in Maryland and Guanabara in Rio) with surrounding human development, among other common features. In 2006, six Brazilian students and a professor came to Maryland for a 2-week program focused on ecology and natural resources management.

For additional details, please follow the links below:

2006 program in Maryland

2003 program in Rio

Partners of the Americas

Maryland Partners program

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Rio-Maryland Discussion Log